


The Lost and Found

by TheWorkoftheHeart



Series: Rockstar AU [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Being Lost, Gen, Happy Ending, Just very cute, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Rockstar AU, Smoking, a kid gets lost, and luffy helps out until her parents arrive, dadan is referenced!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:07:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26071639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWorkoftheHeart/pseuds/TheWorkoftheHeart
Summary: Luffy pulled the curtain back and peeked out at the now-empty auditorium, seeing a few groups scattered in the high-rise seats, some teenagers grabbing confetti from the floors as they talked amongst themselves. He was about to offer them some leftover, non-trampled confetti that they kept under the canons when he heard a meek sob from the edge of the stage.
Series: Rockstar AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1897279
Comments: 14
Kudos: 26





	The Lost and Found

**Author's Note:**

  * For [everyone that's supported this au so far](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=everyone+that%27s+supported+this+au+so+far).



The high of a finished concert still pulsed through Luffy’s veins; he could feel it sliding through his body just as clearly as he could feel the sweat falling from his unkempt hair. He brushed black bangs out from in front of his eyes and grabbed a water bottle off of one of the travel cases in the corridor backstage, immediately feeling sweaty hands become engulfed with the cold, textured plastic. 

It didn’t matter how many shows they’d play, Luffy could never get enough. He would be chasing this high for the rest of his life.

He made his way back towards the stage, watching as stagehands were helping bandmates dismantle instruments and listening to the fading sounds of chattering crowds leaving the concert hall. The sound of the crowd leaving was always bittersweet. He knew their time together was short, but seeing those faces- the faces of people excited to hear their music, hundreds of voices singing their songs back at him- was something he’d never forget. How could he? They were the whole reason the Straw Hats were able to book larger venues now.

He pressed his free hand against the stage’s curtains, thinking for a moment. He didn’t know if he wanted to see the empty room. Sanji had told him before it was grounding to do so; “it helps me remember I’m just like them, at the end of the night,” he’d informed Luffy aboard the Thousand Sunny one night, a glass of wine swishing between his fingers. “I’m still a person, not some idol.”

What the hell, he’d give it a shot. Luffy pulled the curtain back and peeked out at the now-empty auditorium, seeing a few groups scattered in the high-rise seats, some teenagers grabbing confetti from the floors as they talked amongst themselves. He was about to offer them some leftover, non-trampled confetti that they kept under the canons when he heard a meek sob from the edge of the stage. It was a girl’s, but it wasn’t Nami or Robin; it was someone younger, _much_ younger. He peeked his head out a little more, craning to listen for the source.

Another sob, to his left. Luffy stepped out from behind the curtains and began walking towards the sound carefully, making sure not to trip on the very fine line between the stage’s end and the two-foot drop to the floor. Once he made it to the corner he could see the girl clearly. She was young- probably around six- and sobbing into her hands, curled into a ball against the metal guard rail. Luffy furrowed his brows. A six-year-old? What was she doing here? Why was she _alone_? 

It clicked. She was probably lost.

He sat down on the edge of the stage, sliding off with an audible grunt. His noise, plus the sound of his sandals hitting the floor, caught the girl’s attention; she looked up at him in horror, brown eyes wide as she made eye contact with the man in front of her.

She looked at his face, first, before glancing down at his clothes. She saw Luffy’s band logo, a skull and crossbones adorned with a straw hat not unlike the one he was wearing around his neck, and she seemed to put together the dots that he was a rockstar. For some reason, that scared her even more. She cried harder into her hands, curling tighter into her knees, as if somehow Luffy was terrifying to behold.

“Whoa,” Luffy remarked, holding his hands up at the sudden outburst. “It’s okay, it’s okay... where are your parents?”

She didn’t answer, though one eye peeked up from under her arm. Luffy cleared his throat.

“Hey,” he tried again, “where are your parents?”

It took a few seconds. The little girl sniffled, wiping her nose with her arm, before answering. “I-I don’t know...”

 _That doesn’t really help me,_ part of Luffy wanted to answer, but the last thing he wanted to do was upset her more. On top of that, his brotherly instincts had more of a say than his logical sense did. “Were they at this show? What do they look like? I can ask security to help us look.”

She shook her head. “They weren’t here... they don’t like rockstars. Rockstars are s-scary.”

“Scary?” It almost made him laugh. “We’re not scary, I promise. Uh...”

Luffy looked around for a security guard, an adult, someone who can help, but they all seemed to vanish right at the moment he needed them. The stagehands were gone, and he couldn’t hear Franky’s booming voice from behind him anymore; the confetti group had already departed, and the few straggling groups that were among the red high-risers were on their way out of the venue through the upper door. 

_No one, huh?_

Luffy sighed, clicking his tongue. “Where were your parents? Were they near here at all?”

She nodded. “I think so... there’s a big store near here, a-and I got lost, so I went outside to find the store lady that stands outside the doors, and she was gone. So I went looking for her, a-and found this place, and thought it was the store...”

“A big store,” Luffy repeated. He couldn’t remember passing by any stores on the way here; a few restaurants, sure, but stores? Stores, stores... “The mall.”

The little girl nodded rapidly. “The mall! I don’t know my way back...”

The mall was a few buildings down the street from here, but it was of relatively massive size; she must’ve seen the venue parking lot and got the two buildings confused. On top of that, he remembered Nami expressing a great interest in some after-show shopping, until the discovery the mall would be closed after their set. It was already closed. More likely than not, the parents are probably outside looking for her, if not somewhere ridiculously far in the mall calling the police. Sooner rather than later, venue security will be called, and they’ll issue a search of the property for her. It was easier, Luffy decided, to just watch her for a bit until venue security can call the mall and tell them the situation.

“How about this,” Luffy began, and the girl looked up at him. “How about you stay here, I’ll get you some snacks and a juice backstage, and I’ll tell an adult to call your parents for you?”

She seemed hesitant at first. She had a look on her face about trusting a stranger- more specifically, a rockstar, which she seemed even more frightened of- before she gave a meek smile. “Okay.”

Luffy beamed. He chuckled brightly, offering a hand out to her. “Okay! From right now until your parents get here, we can be snack buddies, because I’m _starving._ ”

The girl giggled, taking his hand and pulling herself up. Her face was still stained with tears, eyes red and puffy; Luffy felt bad for her. He had faint memories of being lost in the woods behind his house, crying his eyes out until his mom would come get him, cursing to the wind about how “you and your brother need to stay inside when I tell you to, dammit, you’re going to kill me one day Luffy, don’t scare me like that again, I can’t afford to lose another son”. He could understand the girl’s fear.

“What’s your name?” Luffy opted to ask, stretching out a little bit and straightening his half-buttoned flannel. “Mine’s Monkey D. Luffy, but you can call me Luffy.”

“Monkey!” she chimes, laughing a bit at his surname. Luffy couldn’t help but laugh, too, finding her little laugh contagious. “My name’s Ayako.”

“Ayako! That’s so pretty!”

Ayako beamed, proudly putting her hands together. Luffy beamed back at her, trying to help calm her nerves.

“Okay, Ayako, c’mere for a second. I’m gonna lift you up so we can go backstage and get snacks.”

“Okay, Monkey,” she answered. Luffy didn’t bother to correct her. Instead, he lifted her up and sat her on his hip before leaning down and jumping up onto the edge of the stage. He struggled to keep balanced for a moment, almost worried he’d fall backwards and hurt them both, but he quickly regained his footing and stood up straight, proud of himself. He felt around the curtains for an opening crease and wiggled between it before sitting Ayako down.

The stage looked empty now, the only remnants being a few instrument cases that still needed to be carted to the bus and a couple of empty water bottles on Zoro’s end of the stage. Ayako took it all in, looking at how high the ceilings went, how empty it all was. Luffy took her hand in his and gestured for her to follow him, to which she obliged.

“So you’re a rockstar, Mr. Monkey?” Ayako asked, stepping down the stairs to head into the performer’s hall.

Luffy grinned. “Sure am! I’m the lead singer! My band’s called the Straw Hats.” He pulled his own straw hat up and over his head, ducking the brim down over his eyes before letting it fall back up loosely upon its release. Ayako had wide eyes as she watched him, her jaw dropped a little bit. 

“But you don’t look too scary, other than the skeleton on your shirt. I was told rockstars are big and scary and mean.”

“I’m not really any of those things,” Luffy responded right back, giving her a reassuring pat on the shoulders. He was looking around for someone to talk to, preferably security, to get Ayako back home as soon as possible.

It was a fruitless search for a moment, until Zoro turned the corner. He had a beer in one hand and his guitar in the other, and he hadn’t bothered to get into comfier clothing. The black denim vest, the spikes, the skulls and ripped jeans with chains, the dark makeup around his eyes; his appearance immediately frightened Ayako, who screamed bloody murder at the sight of him. Luffy and Zoro both yelped in surprise, a little beer splattering over Zoro’s shirt and chin.

“Fucking shit!” Zoro cursed, not expecting the sound. He looked to the place the noise came from, expecting it to be an adult, but he seemed surprised when he found himself looking down at a now-frightened child, who had hidden herself behind Luffy’s legs. “Luffy, why is there a kid back here?!”

“Zoro! Just the person I wanted to see!” Luffy ignored the question completely. “This is Ayako. Ayako, this is my bandmate Zoro! He’s not as scary as he looks, I promise.”

“B-but he looks like the scary rockstars I saw on the TV,” Ayako stammered. “The ones who had to go to the cop place because they punched somebody.”

“Zoro hasn’t punched anybody,” Luffy lied, which got an immediate snicker from his bandmate. “He just thinks his outfit looks cool, that’s all.”

Zoro wasn’t sure whether to be offended or to roll with it, so roll with it he did. He gave her a wave using two of the fingers that held his beer. Ayako waved back meekly, stepping out from behind Luffy and taking up his side again.

“Ayako was at the mall and got lost, and she wandered to the venue and got even more lost. Do you know where security is? I need to tell them she’s here so her parents can come find her.”

At Luffy’s question, Zoro gave a half-hearted shrug. “Dunno. I’ll go look around for you, if you’d like. I’ll tell ‘em the deal and make sure they come get her.”

Luffy grinned, laughing a little. “Really? Thank you, Zoro! You’re the best!”

Zoro wouldn’t admit it, but the slightest smirk appeared on his lips. “No problem. See you two around, I guess,” he said, before looking back down at Ayako. He crouched down to meet her eyes and gave her a smile. “Nice to meet you, Ayako.”

Ayako smiled, nodding back at him. “Nice to meet you too, Z...”

“Zoro.”

“Zoro!”

Zoro made his way down the hallway that Luffy and Ayako came from, allowing the two of them to head into the lounge room a few feet ahead. It smelled somewhat of sweat, but was mostly masked by the scent of pizza and freshly-opened cola. It was a welcome smell that Luffy absolutely adored. He made sure Ayako made it into the room before taking in who all was inside; Nami and Robin were chatting on one of the couches, Chopper was checking on the swelling on Franky’s arm where he’d had his prosthetics on, as well as tending to a few bloodied fingernails where Usopp had played just a _little_ too hard, and Sanji was finishing his work at setting up a charcuterie board with an unlit cigarette between his teeth, obviously fixing to go for a smoke. Nami was the first one to tell Luffy “hello”, though she quickly had to double-take at the sight of Ayako beside him.

“Luffy! Why is there a child back here?”

The rest of the band looked over at him, immediately curious about the child in question. Taking in everyone’s appearance and the sudden harsh reaction seemed to make Ayako nervous, as she hid behind his legs again, peeking out from behind his back.

Luffy just laughed. “This is Ayako. Ayako, this is my band! That’s Nami, Robin, Usopp, Chopper, Franky, and Sanji. Say hi!”

Ayako waved a little, obviously intimidated. The band all waved back, still confused, but trying to be hospitable. Sanji put his cigarette back in the box in his shirt pocket.

“Ayako got lost and Zoro’s off finding security so we can find her parents. I promised her I’d be her snack buddy, though! Sanji, what are you making?”

Sanji shook his head a little at the rushed explanation, but didn’t flinch otherwise. He lifted a row of sliced fruit with his hand and knife and spread them out evenly on the edge of the board. “A charcuterie,” he responded. “I’m going to make us an actual pizza when we get back to the stove on the bus, since they don’t have a kitchen I can get access to. I don’t know if, uh-”

“Ayako,” Luffy butt in.

“-Right. If Ayako would like it that much. It’s just cheese, meat, vegetables, and fruit. I can dig around and find something else in my cooking bag, though.”

Ayako blinked, walking over to Sanji and standing on her toes to peek onto the counter where Sanji was working. Sanji smiled at her, bringing over a small wooden stool with his foot and placing it beside him. Ayako stepped onto it, watching his methodical movements.

“Sorry, I must smell awful. I just got done performing, and we’re all a little gross.”

She looked at him in surprise. “You’re a rockstar, too?!”

“Yep. We all are. We don’t look like the pictures, huh?”

He grinned at her, and Ayako just stared, trying to process it all. She was used to the pictures on the news of rockstar wannabes getting arrested for picking fights in dingy bars, the heavy black makeup and dark clothes with spikes and chains, the wild and untamed hair. But in this band, everyone was different; some wore bright shirts with dark overalls; some had spikes and chains balanced out with brightly colored hair, neatly styled into a fauxhawk; some wore red flannel and ripped blue jeans; some, like Sanji, wore fancy black suits with fancy blue shirts. 

They weren’t like the pictures at all, and not nearly as scary. Ayako felt a little more relaxed.

“Not at all,” she responded, and Sanji was glad to hear it. 

Luffy stood in the doorway, watching the two with curiosity. Robin piped up from her place on the couch, pulling a card off of the coffee table and placing it into her hand; Luffy hadn’t even noticed she and Nami were playing a game when he entered.

“Are Ayako’s parents in the venue?”

“No, they’re at the mall down the road.”

Nami gave a surprised expression. “Wow. She got really lost, then... poor thing. I can’t imagine how scary that would be, being lost in the middle of the night?”

“All we can do is wait for her parents to arrive and come pick her up,” Franky chimed in, putting his arms back on before making sure he could move his fingers. “Hopefully they’ll be here soon. I’d hate for them to think she was missing for too long.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Chopper assured. “We can just hang out with her in the meantime!”

“She seems like a sweet kid,” Usopp finally added, checking the bandages on his fingers. “She’ll probably be a lot of fun to hang out with for a bit.”

“Yeah!” Luffy cheered, before directing his attention back to the two at the counter. “Sanji, Sanji! What are you making for snacks?”

He wandered over to the counter, standing on his toes and peeking over Sanji’s shoulder, though he could’ve easily looked over Ayako’s head and gotten a better look. The charcuterie board had been sat aside and Sanji was working now to precariously cut strawberries into roses, tulips, and other cute flowers, sitting them on a plate for Ayako to snack on.

“I’m making Ayako some cute flower snacks,” he replied, not looking up from what he was doing to answer the question (and for the best, as his head would’ve rammed right into Luffy’s chin). “You can help yourself to the charcuterie, though. It’s got plenty of meat--”

That was all Sanji needed to say before Luffy reached around and grabbed the board off the countertop, snagging an entire row of sliced ham to munch on. It made Ayako laugh, and Sanji just made a “tsk” sound under his breath. 

“Luffy’s always like that. Say ‘meat’ and he’s completely sold on whatever it is you’re talking about, even if he wasn’t paying attention to the entire rest of the conversation.”

Ayako giggled. Sanji handed her the plate of strawberries, and she took it happily, admiring the flowers. “I’m like that with cookies. I love cookies.”

“Do you? I know some good recipes. Maybe when your parents get here I can give them some.”

Ayako sat down with her snacks, sitting on the couch beside Nami. Nami gently pulled her closer by wrapping an arm around her, ruffling her hair a little. Luffy had joined Usopp and Chopper in watching Franky come up with a drum beat on the fly, using only the table they were sitting at. Sanji finally pulled the cigarette from his shirt pocket, excusing himself to the backstage exit for a smoke.

The longer Ayako was there, the more comfortable she felt. Slowly but surely, the rockstars felt less like the scary men on TV and more like friends. Ayako could’ve stayed forever, listening to the group chatter endlessly about things she didn’t quite understand but she liked hearing their voices and jokes anyways; however, Zoro finally returned, Ayako’s parents in tow.

“Ayako!”

“Mama!”

The woman at the door, Ayako’s mother, scooped her into her arms and hugged her tight. “Are you okay? Are you hurt? No one hurt you, right?”

“Nope! I’m okay! My friends kept me safe and gave me snacks!” Ayako gestured to the Straw Hats, who all waved at her parents kindly. Her parents gave them forced smiles in return; the looks on their faces let them know immediately that her parents believed the stereotypes more than anything else.

“We’re just glad you’re safe, kiddo,” her father assured, brushing a hand through her hair before kissing her forehead. “We need to head home, now. It’s getting late.”

Ayako nodded, but quickly gasped. “Wait! Wait, put me down, wait!”

Her mother gave a confused face, but she obliged, sitting Ayako down. She ran over to Sanji (who had long returned from his cigarette break) and pulled on his pants leg, reminding him of his promise for cookie recipes. Sanji just laughed, making his way over to her parents and speaking to them in low tones as Zoro squeezed his way through the doorway and onto the fold-out couch to take a nap.

Luffy made his way over to Ayako, grinning ear to ear. “We’re gonna miss you, Ayako!”

“I’m gonna miss you guys too!” she replied, her voice bright and bubbly, but a little somber. “Hopefully when I get bigger I can see you guys do a show.”

“That would be fun! We can get you free tickets too, for you and your parents.” Luffy knew it was an impossible offer, but it made Ayako happy. She grinned wide and jumped up and down, which made Luffy laugh a little.

Ayako settled down and noticed Luffy’s hands behind his back. “What are you hiding?”

“Oh! Right!” Luffy exclaimed, as though he completely forgot he was hiding something. He then held out an extra-small Straw Hats shirt and one of their signed posters, that had everyone’s face on it. “That way, you won’t forget us! You’ll be the coolest kid in your entire school with these! You can tell everyone you met the big scary rockstars!”

Ayako giggled, taking the shirt (that was far too big for her) and the poster. “Are these really for me?”

“Yep! We give them out to our friends, after all!”

The word “friends” made Ayako’s entire face light up. She hugged Luffy tightly, and he hugged her right back, squeezing her gently.

“Get home safe, okay, Ayako?”

“You too, Monkey!”

“Ayako,” came her mother’s voice, calling from the doorway. “We’re leaving.”

She nodded, heading towards her parents. She stopped quickly to wave goodbye to everyone, and she felt herself bubble over with happiness when everyone chimed goodbye right back. As her parents scooped her up into their arms, she closed her eyes, still smiling. Maybe rockstars aren’t so bad after all.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my Rockstar AU that I've been working my ass off on. Over 32 pages of work has gone into this about characters, plot, designs, you name it. I'm absolutely willing to answer any questions (and I super encourage it!) on my twitter, @hanahana_no__mi! Please follow me there if you enjoyed this!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! I love you all!


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